A Dance of Interest
by Enginerd
Summary: A chance encounter.Battle ensues.What reward awaits the victor?Slight AU since Ba Sing Se eps.This has become a romancehumor with a bit of action Maiko Fic.Rated T for safety.3rd and final chapter is finally up and fixed some old errors.I hope you enjoy
1. Chapter 1

I'm an engineering student, so I havn't written creatively in more than 2 years. I'm afraid it might be hard to follow. Feel free to leave suggestion on improving it.

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did this would have happened on TV already.

A Dance of Interest

Zuko steps out the shabby shop with a small bundle of scrolls. Delivering goods certainly beat begging, and it fit well with his current lifestyle. It was a small artisan village, so thievery wouldn't accomplish any gains other than useless baubles. Zuko hurries to the town's southern gate in hopes of departing from the run-down shack, where Iroh had stayed behind along with the ostrich-horse in the event his injured uncle needed to make a quick getaway, before nightfall.

As he nears the gate he feels a sudden jerk on his right shoulder, and then a sharp pain on his right cheek. His eyes quickly focus on a cloaked figure with a hand extending and moving rapidly in the left corner of his eyes. He catches a fistful of the assailant's hood and pulls it back. His eyes widen in shock and his balled fist releases the cloth as though it had caught ablaze. Taking unmeasured steps back.

"Mai?" He gasps out.

"By decree of Firelord Ozai I place you under arrest." Comes her proclamation.

All is stark still for what seems like hours, as Zuko gathers his wits.

"Why not just ambush me? Why give away your position by striking me in the face? He questions her when his wits fail to add two and two to get five.

"You never said goodbye" is the only response given as she swiftly juts her hand out launching an arrow at Zuko. Zuko draws his broadswords together into his left hand. A resounding clink comes from his blades as the missile bounce harmlessly off the broad face of the sword. 

"Goodbye?" he echoes. He couldn't help but let out an amused breath and a smirk crossed his lips when the mental image surfaced. He would have politely rapped on her family's manor gate. A servant would have answered and then questioned with a contemptuous look upon his or her face as his bandaged form explained he just wanted to say goodbye to the lord's daughter.

"Just so I could endure the humiliation of being turned away at the your gates." He seethes.

"You should of snuck in." she states plainly, as she begins her Death Lotus Dance technique with her left arm sweeping over her head followed shortly by her right. Zuko realized almost too late that her left arm was a feint, and three darts were flying out the right wrist to cut the darts from the air before they could reach him.

"You were supposed to steal me away" she quickly follows up. She spins on one leg with arms outstretching and her left foot suspended at a slightly downward angle. Zuko readies himself for a barrage to meet the broadswords, but finds himself jumping in the air and deflecting the storm of projectiles due to the two arrows that narrowly miss his feet.

"So you could join in a fruitless search for the avatar in exchange for nonexistent redemption? Better yet, so you could live the rest of your life in a place that loathes your existence, on the run from those that should adore you?" He scoffs. The dancer's eyes seem to glisten upon his words.

"That would have been fine with me." She seems to struggle to strain out of her mouth, as she leaps towards him with her legs split forward and back. Her arms reach out in a mockery of a welcoming embrace. Zuko unleashes a cloud of flames from his steel in hopes of obstructing her view and knocking the hail of weapons astray. The airborne beauty's eyes are burdened with tears that defy gravity.

"How can you dismiss everything so easily? I've lost my family, my honor, my title, my everything!" The prince raged. As their dance of attack and defend continues.

"You still had me." Mai finishes her dance a spinning back flip discharging her entire remaining stock of weaponry all at once. His stance becomes lax and guard drops. Thuck. Thuck.

"You were supposed to block those." She chokes out. Mai's tears finally succumb and descend freely.

Zuko falls to one knee with his eyes staring blankly to the earth.

Mai runs full force, stopping short of barreling into him as she drops to her knees. She pulls out the dart embedded into his thigh, tossing it aside. Her hands move to the arrow lodged in his left shoulder, but before she can tug his right hand overlaps her own two hands to resist against her motions.

"What are you doing? Let go!" She screams in dismay. His gaze finally rises to meet hers.

"And now?" He whispers almost inaudibly.

"Now and always" wisps out of her mouth before meeting his. His hand falls from the wound to encircle her. The moment seems to drag. Thuck.

"mmmm…ouch!" resounding from his retreating lips. She discards the arrow over her shoulder and tears her left sleeve with her teeth as he looks on bewildered.

"I can't have you bleeding to death on me now that things have finally become interesting." She states as though it were the most logical thing in the entire world.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-**Bolded** parts are Zuko's thoughts. _Italized_ parts are written words.

With his wounds finally dressed neatly in what were Mai's sleeves, Zuko collects his swords and attempts to stand. He quickly finds himself about to crash back down to earth, but Mai catches him with her arms under his. Their eyes lock.

Zuko realizes in this instant the close proximity of their bodies. His mind begins a frantic self interrogation on the proper response. _**Am I supposed to embrace her? Is this a moment where I should kiss her? How did I know to kiss her before? Was it me that kissed her or her that kissed me? Was there a clear sign when I could kiss her? What are the rules for this, dang it?!**_

Before Zuko's mind can either find an answer or even more likely collapse in on itself, Mai moves to his right till his right arm rests on the nape of her neck. "Let's try walking together." She says simply. Zuko tentatively attempts to step forward with his left. The weight that can't be handled by his right leg falls onto Mai's seemingly fragile frame. After six paces, Mai notices the sheen of sweat on Zuko's forehead and wince upon each step. "Just a little further and we'll make it to my riding lizard."

Reality crashes down upon Zuko in a sudden moment of clarity after his mental image of riding off with Mai. "You can't come with me. You still have your family and title. The fire nation is still your home." Zuko suddenly finds himself falling face first into the dirt. He pushes himself over, and sits up with the intention of burning the image of Mai into his memory before she'd have to leave.

She kneels down onto one knee. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" she states in her monotone with her left brow quirked slightly up. "O-of course not, but I can't ask you to…" Zuko's words are cut off by her own. "I've played the maiden in waiting and the heartbroken pursuer." She reaches out her hand. "Neither suited me." It entangles into his short, unruly hair. "I think it's time I tried being the girl that gets what she want when she wants it." Her hand shakes the dirt from his hair.

Mai again helps Zuko to his feet and resumes her position as his crutch. Zuko's mind begins racing. **There must be a way. I can't run from her in my state. There must be a way to keep her safe. I know fate won't let me keep her. There must be a way to insure her against my fate. "You were supposed to steal me away." That's it!**

Finally they arrive at her mount. "I know you couldn't be this far into Earth kingdom territory alone. You must have been part of a team tracking me." Zuko states confident in his assumptions. Mai only responds with only the single name, "Azula." Zuko digests the response knowing already what it would be. "A class C circular search pattern then." Mai simply nods. A modest smile graces his lips. **Azula always plays it by the book.**

Zuko begins laying out his plan. "We'll use your riding lizard as a decoy to send them in the wrong direction. I'll secure your flare to the lizard. I'll tie one end of a string to the pull cord of the flare and the other to a tree. Once the lizard gets far enough the flare goes off. It should take them at least a day of riding to catch up with your loosed riding lizard even after the flare has gone off." Mai turns her head away from Zuko for a moment, and quickly looks back to him with a nod of her head.

Mai begins unloading anything she needs from her lizard, while Zuko begins preparing the flare. Once Zuko sees that Mai was busy with her possessions, he quickly pulls the parchment with the destination for his delivery and the brush he had used to write it earlier. He takes the bristles into his mouth cringing at the taste and tears the parchment for the pristine half. With limited ink he would have to make this short and to the point.

_I have kidnapped Mai._

_-Prince Zuko_

Zuko painstakingly stands leaning his weight against the lizard. He slips the note into the left satchel of the saddle, and proceeds to secure the flare. Mai stands with her back to Zuko seeming to just be looking over her things. Zuko secures the other end of string to a tree trunk and raises his hand ready to send the lizard off on its way. "Wait!" Mai shouts. "I have to check something." She says while sticking a clenched fist into the right satchel of the saddle. "Making sure I don't leave anything I need." She explains as her empty hand retreats from the bag." She finally sends the lizard off herself with a resounding slap of her hand against its hindquarters.

Zuko fashions a crude crutch from a branch of a tree as Mai begins packing away her possessions. Zuko cannot count the number of arrows and darts she tucks away neatly into her bag. When all preparations are done, Zuko leads the way to the run down shack that Iroh waits in. A silence settles over the two as they walk. **I should say something. What can I possibly say now? Nice weather we're having...no.**"I-I am interested in your movements…I mean in battle." Zuko stutters out. Mai's gaze shifts in the opposite direction of him momentarily and returns. "Thank you." is her only reply. Zuko, unable to tell whether his attempt at a conversation failed or not, decides it best to keep quiet the rest of the trip.

Zuko releases a sigh of relief when the hovel comes into view. "Uncle!" he shouts. Iroh lazily steps out from the doorway. Apparently he was sleeping before his nephew's rude wake up call. "What happened?" Iroh yells wide eyed when he catches a glimpse of Zuko's condition. "I was…" Iroh shifts his attention to Mai. "More importantly, who's this lovely maiden and why does she have torn sleeves." He interrupts with a small smirk. "It's me, Mai. It's been a long time general Iroh." Mai introduces herself. "Little Mai, you've grown so much and quite beautiful might I add." Iroh says more to Zuko than Mai herself with an even broader grin. Zuko can tell easily his uncle's intention to meddle and probably cause his death from embarrassment. "Why don't you rest inside Mai?" Zuko suggests hurriedly. Mai simply shrugs and begins walking to the entrance. "You could just say you want to talk privately, you know?" she says to nobody in particular just before entering.

Zuko shifts his gaze upward in an attempt to assemble exactly how to retell what happened in a concise, not embarrassing manner. **There was a battle between Mai and me.**Something about elaborating how his wounds were caused bugged him so he'd omit that.Zuko's mind settles on the kiss he shared with Mai. **Then I convinced her of our innocence, and she decided to accompany us on our journey.**Zuko nods his head finally deciding that this carefully woven story of omissions and half truths was best for all involved. "I was worried that your hectic life had left no room for the normal interests for a boy your age, but now I can see they were unfounded." Iroh seems to laugh out while clapping his hand on Zuko's right shoulder forcefully. Zuko releases a sigh and quickly relays his two sentence summary. Iroh simply nods his head thoughtfully and motions for Zuko to follow him into the hut.

Iroh takes his seat in front of the teapot, and sets about brewing. "So what really happened today?" Iroh asks Mai. "What do you mean really happened? I told you everything already!" Zuko protests still standing. Neither acknowledges his complaint. "I first began tracking Zuko when he entered into the town at around noon." Mai reports as though it were a military briefing. Zuko seats himself with a displeased expression at being ignored. Mai begins retelling the battle in great detail, but omits any of the dialogs to Zuko's relief. "I then defeated Zuko with a dart to his right thigh and an arrow to his left shoulder." Mai states just as evenly as the rest of the facts of battle. "What do you mean proceeded to defeat me?!" Zuko yells shooting up from his seat with new found strength in his legs. The small fire heating the teapot suddenly roars to life at the same time. Iroh pulls back his head with slightly singed eyebrows from over the earthen kettle as he was inspecting the progress of the oolong. "I wounded you in battle while I remained unscathed. Clearly I won." She states evenly again. "You know I let my guard down when you said...you said…" Zuko trails off. "Exactly, you let your guard down and I capitalized." Comes Mai's retort to Zuko unfinished sentence.

Zuko plops himself back to the floor with his arms crossed over his chest huffily, knowing he couldn't justify the end of the battle without embarrassing results. Mai turns her head seemingly to look out a window of the hut. "Now, now. Let's all calm ourselves with a nice cup of tea. The end of the battle doesn't interest me anyways, so much as how exactly you convinced her to join us on our journey to Ba Sing Se." Iroh attempts to placate. Zuko feels a slight rise in temperature in the room. "You're right uncle. The end of the battle doesn't matter. What is important is we are all here together now, and what our move should be from here." Zuko says leaving Iroh's question unanswered and hoping for a change in subject.

"We'll need a cover story. My addition will make us stand out more and raise questions." Mai immediately follows up on Zuko's hope. Iroh frowns at the missed opportunity. "Why would we need a cover story? I mean we don't want to be remembered as we move through Earth Kingdom." asks Zuko. "She's right. Three suspicious strangers are far more memorable than, oh let's say a married couple and the son's father traveling as a happy family." Iroh explains to Zuko. "Well if we must come up with some new identities, I should be the hired bodyguard for you two." Zuko says ignoring his uncle's suggestion completely. "You're noticeably injured. Nobody will believe you capable of protecting anybody in your state." Mai deadpans. Zuko releases a frustrated humph and turns his head. Zuko can't explain it, but his frustrations caused by Mai somehow feel different from any other experienced in his life. "Why don't we discuss this further as we head to the ferry at the river?" Iroh suggests. Everybody rises to their feet without need for affirmations.

The argument over who they would be for the rest of the journey raged on. Zuko continued to press that he had to be some form of warrior, while Iroh kept on pressing the need to appear as a happy family. Just before arriving at the river, Mai strikes a compromise that all can seem to abide by. Zuko would be a soldier freshly returned from the front on leave due to his extensive injuries. Iroh and Mai would play the parts of the father and sister that went to escort him back home from the healing center. Everybody composed themselves as the ferryman came into view.

Iroh takes the lead with a broad smile on his face ready to appear to be head of household. "Hello. I need passage for me, my daughter Lily, and her fiancé Li." Iroh says cheerily. "Uncoo…" is all that Zuko manages to stammer out before receiving a sharp, discreet elbow to his midsection from Mai. "No need to be so formal anymore my boy. Just call me father from now on." Iroh quickly covers up. "Please board." The ferryman offers with a smile. They file onto the small narrow boat. Mai sits at the bow, Zuko in the center, and Iroh at the stern nearest the ferryman.

"It seems odd for an affianced couple to be traveling in these dark days." The ferryman offers in hopes of sparking a conversation to while away the time. "Ah well, you see. Li is freshly returned from the front on injured leave. I was going to get him by myself, but Lily simply insisted on seeing him as soon as possible. Such is youthful love. Iroh explains closing his eyes at his last sentence pretending to reminisce. "It does my heart good to see a family heading for happiness rather than the usual tragedies." The ferryman says with a genuine smile on his face. "Yes, a happy future with many grandchildren that I can spoil rotten I hope." Iroh laughs heartily. The ferryman laughs along and adds,"So how many do you think they will have?"

Zuko, finally at the end of his patience, turns to his uncle and is ready to call off the entire convoluted lie. Mai's voice interrupts into his planned tirade,"We will have two, a boy and a girl." An audible pop is heard from Zuko's neck as his head whips abruptly to Mai. "T-t-two?" he stutters out. "I've had nothing but time to think this over while you were away, so yes. Two." She states with a nonchalant shrug and her usually straight face. **She can't be serious. She's always serious!**Zuko suddenly feels dizzy and his mouth hangs slightly open. Mai turns her head downwards to the water. Zuko's eyes wander to the water curious what could be more important than the current subject.

Reflecting in the water is a familiar, yet unfamiliar face. A modest, beautiful smile graces her face. Zuko is lost in the reflection. **Is she smiling for me? Why would she hide it from me then? Even if I can't see this smile, I want her make to it more often. Wait a minute she was trying to scare me.**"Well, I was thinking that having nine would be better." Zuko casually says with a smile on his face. Mai turns in shock only to face a smiling Zuko. Her head once again faces the passing waters. Zuko once more looks upon the secret smile with an additional blush this time around.

By the end of the ride across the river, Iroh has claimed to be a tea merchant, Pai Sho circuit champion, and vocals for a band that plays only in the royal courts. The happy family steps off the boat paying the ferryman and thanking him. The ferryman wishes them safety in their travels and shoves off.

In a forest on the other side of the river, two riding lizards wait patiently around an armored train. The decoy has had the misfortune of being caught a hunter's trap meant for saber cats. Ty Lee searches the left compartment of the saddle for clues about the missing owner. After pulling the scruffy note out she cries out dramatically with the back of her right hand resting against her forehead in woe, "Oh no! Mai has been kidnapped by your brother. I never thought he'd stoop so low." Azula conducts the same search to the right of the beast. She unfolds a carefully folded note. "Did you find something over there too?" Ty Lee chirps as she flips atop the back of the lizard.

_Out for a dance. Don't wait up._

_-Mai_

"I don't get it. Has she been kidnapped, or is she out dancing." Ty Lee ponders. The note in Azula's hands bursts into blue flames and turns to ash. "We'll just have to find out for ourselves." Azula answers.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Bolded words are Zuko's thoughts. Sorry for the long hiatus. I had major writers block on an important plot point, and then I lost interest in writing for a stint. I started a new paragraph every time the speaker switches to help make the story easier to follow as suggested by my beta and Blackfire.

As soon as the small boat floats out of earshot, Zuko sighs out "Acting happy is tiring." as his shoulders slump and he tears off the unnecessary bandage over his eye. He begins rubbing his cheeks, where he had plastered an unnatural smile through most the ferry ride.

"You really shouldn't have bothered. I didn't, and your acting leaves quite a bit to be desired." Mai criticizes.

"Well, I thought the point was to act like a happy family." he defends.

"I believe General Iroh had the happiness covered for all three of us." she deadpans.

"That reminds me. How exactly is claiming to be a Pai Sho champion and famous singer being inconspicuous?" Zuko questions his uncle.

Iroh strokes his beard and states proudly, "The elderly are entitled to boast of their achievements as a reward for living so long."

"You've never achieved any of that!" is his nephew's indignant response.

"That's why you'll never be a good actor Zuko. You must get into character." Iroh heartily laughs out with his hands on his stomach. Zuko shakes his head with a groan. **I swear these two set me up for that.** He chances a glance at Mai, but her Pai sho face remains set.

At the gates if a small Earth Kingdom artisan village stands a regiment of Fire Nation soldiers in neat rows awaiting orders.

"We tracked Mai's riding lizard to this dirt speck. I want this mud hole turned inside out for signs of Mai or the two fugitives. You will be punished if you return empty handed. Move Out!" Azula commands.

The sounds of splintering wood, pleas of mercy, and general chaos fill the air for the next half hour. Finally a soldier dashes through the gates and kneels before the princess.

"Report!" she barks impatiently.

"There are signs of a battle between Mai and a firebender. Her opponent suffered at least two injuries."

"That must mean Zuko ambushed her and took her hostage. How despicable. I hope she's not hurt." Ty Lee says concernedly.

"Is that all?" questions Azula in a disinterested tone.

"We also have custody of a man who has identified pr-fugitive Zuko. Bring him forth!" the messenger adds hastily.

A small, trembling man with graying hair in a plain green robe is dragged by his arms out of the village by two spearmen and thrown haphazardly at the feet of riding lizard.

"Pl-ple-please spare my life." the artisan manages to stutter out as he grovels.

"Answer satisfactory and I will." She responds amusedly to the man's fear fueled mannerisms.

Azula begins the interrogation. "So, you've met the young fugitive with the scar on his left eye, and only him?" She asks.

"Y-yes. Only him. J-just today. I hired him to deliver a shipment of earth princess d-dolls." answers the doll maker.

Azula cringes at the mention of the familiar dolls.

"Where was the delivery going?" she queries next.

"B-ba Sing Se, b-but I'm not s-sure if that's wh-where he's going. My parcel w-was left abandoned in the middle of t-town." says the sacred, little man.

"Good help is hard to find nowadays." she responds in mock sympathy.

She directs her mount to turn away from the overturned town.

"Burn his shop to the ground." she orders.

"No! Why? I told you everything I know." cries the artisan.

Azula slowly rides away and explains," I hate dolls. They're useless. Useless things should be obliterated."

The sun begins sinking into the horizon, casting the sky into a soft orange hue. Iroh has taken to walking well ahead the two teenagers since the outset of their from the river bank to give a bit of privacy. After a quarter of an hour of silence, Iroh begins belting out a love ballad in hopes of setting a more productive mood and reinforcing Iroh's deafness to everything around him. Zuko looks on at his uncle in disbelief of his antics. **Is this some new strategy of meddling from the master strategist? Perhaps he hopes that proudly leading the way into embarrassment will inspire me to follow? That's… insane. I better take his temperature before we sleep tonight.**

Zuko leans his head towards Mai without taking his sight off his uncle and whispers, "I'm really sorry about my uncle. I think old age, his injury, or a combination of the two has addled his brain."

Mai also leans her head toward Zuko and, with lowered decibel, speaks, "I think his eccentricity makes him interesting. I can finally understand how he could be such a revered leader, even though he exudes kindness. Unlike the average commanding officer, who commands with suppressive authority and threats, general Iroh purposely exposes his humanity to inspire through example. If the Great Dragon of the West is only human, what can't a human achieve?"

Zuko turns to face Mai to question how she could deduce all that from the, now, dancing and singing elder before them. The query is never vocalized, however, when she too decides to turn to face him. Zuko hangs his head downward with an exasperated sigh to escape the awkward tension. Mai's right hand sways back and forth in the corner of his left eye. **Curse you general Iroh. You'll lead me to my doom one day. **Zuko catches Mai's lithe right hand into his rough left. Mai's body tenses. She looks down to their joined hands, and then upwards to Zuko's face, which stares only forward. Mai turns her head away from him again momentarily, before returning her focus forward as well.

The ferryman begins preparations to tie down his ship for the day. The dock begins to rumble beneath his feet. From a kneeled position, he looks up to see two large lizards staring menacingly at him. A pink blur comes springing off the back of one of the beasts to land directly before him.

"Hi. I'm Ty Lee. Could you please tell me who you've ferried across today?" introduces the acrobat.

"I've transported many today. Is there any people in particular that you're looking for." he answers rather gruffly.

Ty Lee places her right elbow in her left hand, with her right index finger on her bottom lip as she begins thinking of an accurate description.

"A young, scary, scarred man and a fat, funny, old man. Possibly a young, gloomy girl in black that may have been unconscious or bound." comes the chirper girl's chosen catalog.

The ferryman looks upon her worriedly, but then begins wracking his brain for anything remotely similar to get the animals off his pier as soon as possible.

"No. I'm sorry. The only group with a young man, an old man, and a young lady was a happy family." responds the ferryman.

"A happy family! Mai!" laughs out the bubbly girl, ending her fit of mirth with a small snort. She next asks, "Are there any other boats that cross this river?"

"Nope. This is the widest part of the river and the only part with crossable currents with small vessels." proudly states the ferryman due to his knowledge and business savvy.

"Ty Lee, you hide around here and stake out this position. I will cross and search a ways along the road. They may have managed to cross." issues the fire princess' authoritative voice.

The ferryman, a bit upset over the doubts in information, states evenly, "I'm afraid I've stopped the ferry for the…" He is cut short by the lizard springing forth above him and the transitioning to its hind legs as it speeds across the river's surface.

Zuko shifts about restlessly. He finally sits up giving up on sleep all together. He briefly glances across the dieing embers of the campfire at Mai's silhouette. **Today day has been eventful. Too much so. **He stares daggers into the snoring, shadowy mass to his left. **I blame you.** He rises silently and begins a search for an acceptable clearing in the trees. He finds success only 20 paces from the camp. He inhales deeply as he assumes a horse stance. The restrictions of his newly mended wounds mean only rudimentary forms for him tonight. His motions are deliberate, but not hasty or forceful.** I haven't done these forms in so long. Lately, all I've practiced is redirecting lightening. "If you're lucky, you'll never have to use it." Like luck has anything to do with me. **Mai's meek smile flashes briefly in Zuko's mind. **Well, maybe there was some today. Her honor. Her title. Her way of life. Her very life itself. She's bet it all on me. Can I really honor her faith by hiding away behind Ba Sing Se's walls? **

"You should get more sleep. It's still a ways to Ba Sing Se." interrupts an unseen Mai. Zuko turns to see her familiar outline.

"I won't be going." he declares as his head downturns slightly to the left.

"Excuse me?" she rebuts.

"You and uncle will go on ahead to Ba Sing Se. I have unfinished business." Zuko explains without looking at her.

"I see. What exactly is this unfinished business?" she continues to question.

"I won't run away anymore! I'll reclaim my right as heir to the throne no matter the cost!" he beats out rapidly so as not to lose conviction in his voice.

"Even if you defeat Azula in an impromptu Agni Kai, it won't ensure your right of succession. It's not worth the risk." Mai states plainly.

"Yeah I know. There's only one way to do so. Leave only one heir." Zuko forces out weakly, feeling slightly sick with each word.

"You can't…" she begins.

She's cut short by Zuko's outburst of, "You don't think I'm strong enough?!"

"You're not Azula." she responds in her neutral tone, but slightly quieter.

"I don't need anybody that doesn't believe in me!" Zuko yells hotly.

His breathe has become ragged. Mai walks closer until she's within arms reach. Zuko still refuses to look up.In one swift, clean movement she strikes him in his left shoulder with an open palm and right thing with a knee.

"Uhnnnrrr..." is all Zuko manages as he falls to the floor and feels fresh blood seep warmly into his bandages. As he impacts with the dirt he sees Mai's rapidly retreating silhouette.

Zuko limps back into camp, scanning rapidly for his assailant. All he finds is his uncle stoking a rekindled fire.

"Where…" Zuko begins only to be interrupted.

"Gone." Iroh states simply.

"It didn't occur to you to try and stop her?" the angry young man questions hotly.

The old man merely shrugs and says, "Mai seemed to be in a hurry. She looked over her things, packed them up, and broke out into a run towards the river." Zuko backs into a tree and slumps down looking defeated. "So what happened?" the husky man asks.

"I don't know. Girls are crazy. I mean why risk your entire life on somebody you don't believe in?" answers the dejected young man.

"Zuko, it is true love is possibly life's greatest gamble, but it's not one's life that is on the line. It's a wager on happiness." Zuko only stares confusedly. Iroh sighs at the wasted pearl. "Go after her and immediately apologize before anything else." instructs the philosopher.

"I don't know what I did wrong." exasperatedly responds Zuko.

"In that case, you'll have to open negotiations with telling her you love her." offers Iroh.

A tinge of red appears on Zuko's face as he swallows hard. "I'll just figure out what I did along the way." he says as he stands and limps as fast as he can toward the river.

Streaks of sunlight peak out from the horizon. A cloaked figure makes it's way down the path aa a pace just short of a run with both arms trailing behind. The assassin stops abruptly, seeming to recognize something in the distance. In an instant the trail is vacant and silent. Azula comes into view rapidly riding down the path. The reins are tightened and the lizard skids to a halt.

"Come out here!" demands the princess. With a rustle of leaves, Mai once again enters onto the path and bows. "Report!" barks the mounted megalomaniac.

Mai reports, "Your brother and uncle are camped not far down this road."

"How do you explain your actions?" Azula questions as her eyes narrow dangerously.

"I first encountered Zuko alone. I needed to play along to find general Iroh. I believe you wanted the set, right?" Mai answers nonchalantly. "I suppose that's satisfactory. Lead the way." orders the coldhearted commander. Mai resumes her previous pace in the opposite direction.

Azula amusedly asks, "So how was it, seeing Zuzu again?"

"He hasn't changed in the least." answers Mai. The royal only laughs at her answer. "For that, I'm grateful" adds Mai as she swiftly turns and launches an ornate blade upward at Azula.

The princess digs her spurs into the sides of the riding lizard's sides, causing it to rear up onto its hind legs. The red dagger is lodged into the lizard's abdomen. Azula deftly slides off the back of the beast at the pinnacle of its buck. The animal comes crashing down on its right side when the numbness of poison flows into its right hind leg. It releases pained pants that shorten with each breathe.

Azula stares into Mai. Fury is etched into face. "Not only do you have the audacity to attack me, but with the assassin stiletto I gifted you with upon our graduation. There's no limit to your impudence." seethes Azula as her hands move in the all too familiar circular motions. Lightening begins crackling on the fingertip of her right hand. Mai dashes into the forest. "Trees can't stop this. You should know better." taunts the princess as she directs the lightening at the traitor. The jagged light bores cleanly through the trees on the way to its target, but rapidly downturns and dissipates. An iron rod glows orange and releases a wisp of smoke off its surface in front of Mai. "Clever." admits Azula.

The sun sits atop the horizon. Remnants of charred arrows and darts are strewn about the road. Flames consume the trees that once ran along the sides of the path. Azula stands next to her, long since dead, riding lizard. The carcass served as an obstruction to Mai's assaults from the forest. Mai stands only thirty paces down the corridor of burning walls. The ranged specialist plants her last iron rod into the ground. Azula begins amassing a enormous ball of fire that scarcely fits between her outstretched arms. Azula throws the blue sphere of inferno with quite a bit of effort. It arcs towards Mai, but falls onto the ground 10 paces short of her. Upon impact the blue fire splashes outward in all directions. The assassin can only leap backwards with her arms brought up to protect her eyes. The wave of flame inches closer and closer, when two hands abruptly emerge from the wave's surface to take hold of Mai's forearms. A hole opens in the blazing swell to reveal Azula's sneering face.

Mai feels the springs in her holsters warp and break from the heat supplied by Azula's grip. "This is the end." Azula boasts. The pugilistic princess proceeds to strike Mai with a series of close range combos. The victim of the onslaught ends up on her back in a daze. Azula destroys the holsters on her shins then stands upright above Mai with a satisfied smirk. "I could have already turned you to ash, but that wouldn't be as fun." explains the sadistic victor. Azula brandishes the assassin stiletto. She continues her reasoning, "I want you as intact as possible when Zuzu finds you. He can cry over your lifeless corpse and lament his existence further when he buries you with his own two hands." The cruel schemer takes to one knee and presses the poisoned edge to Mai throat.

"Get away from her!" warns the enraged boy. A jet of red flame pushes Azula back as she parries the flow around her.

She stands fully with a grin and her eyes locked on the tainted weapon as a single drop of blood drops off the tip. "Perfect. Just the right amount. This will make for an even better show than I planned." she observes.

Zuko's right hand rests on his left shoulder and his left hand on his left thigh. "What have you done to her!" he roars as his hands ignite. Holes burn his clothes and his wounds are instantly cauterized leaving behind ugly red scars and the smell of singed flesh.

Azula teases, "It's your own fault Zuzu. You should have known better than to have played with one of my toys."

Zuko charges toward his sister and draws his broadswords. The air around the blades begins to distort from the heat they exude.

The dash to exact revenge stops cold when Zuko hears the ragged gasps issuing from Mai. The twin blades clatter to the earth. Zuko drops to his knees in front of the struggling girl. His right hand cradles her neck as and left supports her body while he pulls her onto his knees. "Why?" wisps from his mouth quietly. "Why damn it?!" he screams as a tear falls from right eye. The poisoned girl's eyes flutter open at the familiar voice.

Mai forces out "Pr-prom-ise…" between heavy breathes.

Zuko's focus snaps down to the fragile frame supported in his arms. "Don't speak! It'll get worse!" he cries out.

"Me." she struggles out. "Whatever it is, I promise. Just stop talking. You can't die. I haven't even figured out what I did wrong, let alone apologize for it." he bargains.

"This is more entertaining than I'd imagined possible. I'm not completely heartless. Why don't I send you along with her Zuzu? If I time it right, you might arrive to the spirit world at the same time." comments their tormentor as she prepares a streak of lightening to physically destroy what is already breaking.

Mai continues against his protests. "You. Will .Stay. That. Boy. I. Love." comes each of her words between huffs.

"I promise. Just stay with me" pleads the boy she loves. Perhaps she was ready to show him, or maybe she didn't have the strength to hide it one last time. Her modest smile graces her lips as she takes a last burdened breathe. Zuko shuts his eyes tight and presses his forehead to the top of the still girls head. "Please don't leave me too. I didn't get to say I love you." He gently begs her.

"Seems this is my queue to close the curtains on this play." says the director of this tragedy, as she unleashes the tamed lightening onto the hero.

A small boy huddles in his bed crying. **Is that me? **

"Whe-ere did you go mom?" chokes out the boy. The scene fades.

**My mother was taken. Taken by the Fire Nation. My nation. It consumes everything indiscriminately. Mai. I don't want it anymore. I renounce it all. My title. My honor. My nation. My anger. My pride. My bitterness. My ambition. I burn it all away. All I need is you. Mai.**

Red flames erupt instantly and wildly around the boy clinging to all he needs in this world or the next. Hotter and hotter it burns. The blaze burns blue in only fractions of a second. The heat rises exponentially still. The flames glow purple in the next instant. Hotter still, and the wildfire basks everything in bright white light. Brighter and brighter. Hotter and hotter. The lightening snaking its way to the boy burns into nothingness. Its energy is carried off as fuel in the stream of heat. All is white.

Zuko's eyes snap open. He's disoriented. **Mai. **His arms encircle his companion as they lay flat against the earth.

The desperate boy frantically shakes her. "Get up. Please get up." requests the boy.

"Noisy. I should have known a mommy's boy like you would be high maintenance. First, it's please live. Now, it's please get up." comes her sarcastic acknowledgement through a humble smile.

Zuko laughs too glad to hear her voice to be offended. "Think you can stand?" he questions.

Mai stands straight up. "Look like it. There's some soreness from bruises, but that seems to be all." She offers a hand to Zuko.

Zuko reluctantly takes her hand due to embarrassment at their reversed roles. The trees are charred, but no signs of their previously inflamed state remain such as embers and smoke.

"What happened?" queries Zuko as he surveys the former battlefield.

"If you ask me, who am I going ask?" deadpans Mai with a shrug.

**She's definitely recovered.**

"I'll kill you for this!" bellows their foe.

Zuko and Mai immediately assume battle stances at the source of the threat.

Azula swings her arms wildly about. "What have you done to me!" the Fire Nation princess accuses. She trips on the roots of a tree, and falls face down.

Zuko says in astonishment, "She's blind."

"What should we do?" asks Mai.

Zuko drops his guard and says, "Leave her be. She's in no condition to chase us, let alone fight us. She'll tire herself out, and stay put. The rest of the regiment will come looking for her. They'll have to pull out without an able commander."

Mai follows suit. "You're right. Besides, there are more pressing matters. I believe there were some things you hadn't gotten to tell me before?" she says as her eyes lock onto the boy.

Zuko feigns deafness and starts walking down the road to camp. "Look at how late it is. I bet uncle is worried. We should head back to camp, and make preparations. Ba Sing Se won't come to us." Zuko rambles on in hopes of burying Mai's words.

Zuko is unaware of Mai following behind and checking if she has enough darts left to nail him to a tree.

The End.

A/N I hope it wasn't too bad. I had writer's block on a finding a natural point of conflict between Zuko and Mai to separate them. I hope it didn't turn out too forced. Another thing I'd like to explain is the miraculous white flame. It came as a response to the explanation of lightening in the "Bitter Work" episode. I figured a cold-blooded flame meant it was fueled solely by ambition, which embodies the Fire Nation. I wanted a contradictory flame that would be without ambition, thus white flame. I also figured it should do something positive too, so I made it a purifying flame or flame that burns away impurity. I hope it wasn't too cheesy.


End file.
